How your Personal Brand dictates your Leadership Style

There are dozens (if not more) of online tests you can take to tell you your personality, communication style, leadership style, etc. And if the results empower you, then great. But let’s be honest guys. As scientific as they may seem, none of these tests are built to measure mindset; they are built to measure past actions.

Who you are in the past, and who you want to be in the future do NOT have to be the same. That’s why (personally) I don’t take any of those tests too seriously. What I take more seriously, is my vision and how to take action on it.

When it comes to leadership, just like everything else, there’s no ONE right way to do it. Yes, there is a base framework of good leadership, some leadership skills that are worth practicing, but at the end of the day, it all comes back to how you make people feel.

So today I want to talk about some of the FEELINGS that are associated with great leaders, and how you can tap into your personal brand to show up in that capacity.

And because I love a good Forbes article, I’m using this one as a basis for this conversation.

Believe in the vision

Showing up in a state of belief isn’t always easy. The world (and our brains) are SUPER good at telling us what is wrong or could go wrong. I hear a lot of people describing this as “being realistic”, but let me ask you:

How many times were you inspired to take great action from the place of being realistic?

It’s not a thing.

Now, I don’t mean that you can’t be realistic as a leader. But showing up confident that you can move your team in the direction they need to go is more empowering for them. And it also puts you into a state of visionary problem solving. So, when you run into a roadblock - which you realistically will - you are in the mental state of moving past it TOWARDS the goal.

Own Your Space

You are the leader. Are you owning it?

As leaders, we are apt to experience imposter syndrome (ugh, I hate that phrase). As mentioned above, there will ALWAYS be reasons to doubt yourself.

But there are also always reasons to trust yourself.

Remember; you earned this. And you CAN do it. And you will be much more likely to succeed if you show up believing you can.

Be Respectful

If you want to be respected as a leader, you need to lead by example. Giving others a place where they feel respected is one of the most empowering things a leader can do.

So what happens when you don’t respect a teammate?

Take a look at why that is the case. Have you been telling yourself stories about them based on their actions? Do you really know what is going on with them? Have you discussed this with them?

Our mindsets can be SO powerful when it comes to other people. Equally, when people FEEL they aren’t respected, it doesn’t often encourage them to try harder ;)

Be a Human

I can’t emphasize this one enough. Leaders are humans. So are the people they lead.

None of us is perfect, and trying to pretend to be so ALWAYS comes off as inauthentic (best case scenario) or cocky (worst case scenario).

We all have personal lives. We all have times when we feel vulnerable. We all need to take a break. And remembering to show up as a HUMAN allows your people to do the same.

Not the Smartest in the Room

Let’s be honest. We are all good at somethings, and not good at other things. I once worked for a software company in a marketing leadership role. I did not know how to code on the website. I am brutal at graphic design. What I was good at, was aligning all of my resources in a single direction to get things done.

If everyone hadn’t done their part, it wouldn’t have come together. And if there’s anything I learned from my time playing competitive basketball, is that if the players aren’t executing, how well is the coach really doing his/her job?

You aren’t the best at everything. And you’re not supposed to be. Nor are your teammates supposed to be good at what you’re good at. Everyone needs to do their part to make the team work.

Share Your Message

I’ve encountered so many leaders in the corporate space, that keep all of the WHY information to themselves. I even had a manger once who consistently told people (as a response to a question) that, “they didn’t need to know that”.

When you are showing up in your fully empowered capacity as a leader, there’s no reason NOT to share what you’re all about and where it’s taking the team. It gives people the opportunity to become fully aligned with your vision.

And guess what happens when that happens?

Boom. Faster progress for everyone.

Call to Action

A leader isn’t just a figure-head. A true leader is someone who inspires their people into action. To take the steps that move the team forward. So, if we don’t show up in a way that encourages people to MOVE, then how can we be disappointed when they don’t?

Use Your Values

Who you are is based primarily in the values that you have. What is it that you care most about? Family? Authenticity? Integrity? Success? Wealth?

No value is better or worse than any other value, and knowing which ones drive you can help you as a leader.

Do you care about being home for family dinner? Incorporate that into everyone’s work days.

Do you care about everyone on the team making a lot of money? Create compensation bonuses for superior work.

And as a reminder, just because these are YOUR values, doesn’t mean that your team has the same values. But when you lead using them, it’s easier for people to see and make a good decision as to whether being on your team is right for them ;)

A Servant Leader

I had a conversation with my husband in the car a while back about the difference between those leaders that led their tribes into battle, versus those leaders who sit on a throne and send others to do their bidding.

In my opinion, only one of these is a true leader.

A leaders job isn’t to boss people around until they get what they want (and trust me, there are a LOT of “managers” out there like that).

A true leader exists to support the team so they can make things happen. You serve THEM. Not the other way around.

Inspire, Inspire, Inspire

At the end of the day, it’s all about inspiration. Showing people your vision, inviting them on the journey based on their values, calling them to action in the places where they can best serve, and taking care of them every step of the way.

THAT’s how you get inspired action.

THAT’s why people will trust you.

So, how is this related to your personal brand?

Your personal brand outlines ALL of these things for you. Period.

Trying to be a leader in way that is contrary to your personal brand is folly. You may fool some people for a while, but at the end of the day, you can’t. For example, if you lead based on wealth values (perhaps that’s what your company values), but you’re more of a family person, that’s going to slowly chip away at you. And when something is slowly chipping away at you like that, you aren’t able to be the best leader you can be.

So tap into your personal brand. And use it to show up in these ways, in the version that’s right for you :)

And if you’re looking for some more information on Leadership, check out the episode The Humble Side of Leadership on the Be A Human In Business YouTube Show!